Automobile parking system



Jan. 3, 1950 Filed Nov. 15, 194

F. MARIANO AUTOMOBgLE PARKING SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR.

.FRANK MARIANO ATTORNEY Jam 3, 1950 F. MARIANO 2,493,493

AUTOMOBILE ARKING SYSTEM 7 3 Sheetg-Sheet 2 (Filed Nov. 15, 1946 l N VEN TOR.

FRANK MARI ANO Ja n 3, 1 950 F. MARIANO 2,493,493

AUTOMOBILE PARKING SYSTEM SSheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 15, 1946,

INVENTOR.

FRANK MARIAN'O ATTORNEZ Patented Jan. 3, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMOBILE PARKING SYSTEM Frank Mariano, Long Island City, N. Y. Application November 15, 1946, Serial No. 709,959

vide a parking system wherein once the car has been deposited upon an elevator, the parking thereafter of the car is done by automatic car handling mechanisms.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a parking system wherein the driver can lock the car upon leaving the same, and the car remains locked from that time on while it is being parked and until it is delivered to the driver.

It is another object to provide automobile handling mechanisms for controlling the position of a car upon the elevator by connection with the front and rear bumpers thereof, and the same mechanism also serving for moving the car between the elevator and the parking space or ofi and on the elevator.

According to the invention, a building is put up with three longitudinal sections, the inter mediate section serving to provide a series of elevators side by side, and the outer sections being adapted to receive the cars from the elevators, and as storage space therefor. On the bottom floor, one outer section is not provided with stalls but serves to admit the ingoing and outgoing cars being parked and delivered. Before the car enters the elevator the ignition, windows and doors are locked and the brakes are left re- 5 Claims. (Cl. 214-161) leased. The elevator takes the automobile to the parking level and with its parking mechanism on the elevator, which has retained the car thereon during the upward movement of the elevator, the car is pushed ofi the elevator proper to locate the car in the parking stall.

The contact of the mechanism with the car is upon the outer faces of the front and rear bumpers. The car is gently pushed from the elevator and thereafter the mechanism is removed and returned to the elevator, and the elevator is returned to the ground level to pick up another car or to another level to pull a car from its stall and take it with it upon its return to the ground level. Only when the driver calls for the car does the car ever move from its parking space or stall. No one ever drives or sits in the car and the car'is locked.

For further comprehension of the invention," and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention aremore particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure Fig. 1 is a floor plan view of the ground floor of a parking building, there being no stalls on one section inasmuch as the cars leave the elevators from this section.

Fig. 2 is a floor plan view of the upper parking levels where both outer sections are used for parking.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of one floor of the building looking in plan upon an elevator and its parking mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the elevator and the car handling or parking mechanism thereon.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken through one side of the elevator and the parking element at that side, and as viewed along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows thereof.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the elevator with the parking mechanism extended laterally to place the car in its stall or to pick up the car for returning the same to the elevator.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the elevator and. the hydraulic cylinder for effecting the operation of the bumper contasting elements.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, It represents a building structure having a ground floor level II and upper floor levels l2 (Fig. 2). The ground floor level comprises an intermediate section [3 in which elevators M are disposed side by side throughout the length of the section. Cars are driven out of the building from side section l5 through a door opening space IS on the long side of the building or through an opening l! on one end of the building, if the building is situated upon a street corner. At the opposite side of the building is the entrance section l8 with sections or stalls [9 between spaced guide rails 20 and 2|. The upper fioor levels have the intermediate section l3 through which the elevators are extended and have two parking sections l5 and l8 at opposite sides thereof. Each section has the usual parking stalls l9 and the guide rails 20 and 2 I. If desired, the building can be of skeletonized construction but is preferably closed in to protect the cars from the elements.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 6 to '7 showing the elevator and its car handling mechanism, 23 represents the top part of the elevator or floor on which the car is supported. Onthis floor and.

cams 5 6 and 57 7 its engagement .ward movement at opposite sides thereof, are car handling units 24 and 25 adapted to engage the front and rear bumpers of a car, indicated at 28, and resting upon the floor 23 of the elevator. Each of these car handling units comprises a base member .3! having an opening therein longitudinally thereof, through which is extended a driver arm 32 extendin upwardly through a longitudinal opening 33 of the elevator l4. Resting upon the support 3i, is 'a wheeledcarriage 34. This'carriage will ride outwardlybver the base 3i and is guided and retained thereon by inwardly flanged side plates 35 and 35. Slidable over the inwardly flanged side plates is a second carriage 36 which is operated by a gear 3'! to extend or be made tetravei one half its length relative to the carriage 3!,whi-le the carriage 3 3 is being required to travel one halfits length from the end *of the supporting base 3|. The second'carriage 35 has a rack tooth formation 38, and the base 3| has a rack formation 39. The gear 31 is extended between the rack formations and is driven by the stationary rack 39 as the first carriage is moved outwardly by the driver 32. The gear 31., in turn, will rotate in such dii'ection as to'cause the second carriage 36 to be extended, as shown in Fig. 6, whilethe first carriage is extended one half its length over the end o' flthe elevator. The driver element "32 connects with some part on the carriage 34 to move 7 the same outwardly which has portions 4! ex tending upwardly about the second carriage 3 6. On the top of the second carriage are brackets 42 and .43 having bearing units to which a long cylinder structures"; is jourhalled for rotation about its axis. Intermediate the length of the cylinder, there is a narrow portion from which extend anerm 45 a'nuid'cylinuer 46 be rotated through Oh opposite ends by which the cylinder '41: may ninety degrees. of the cylinder, there are respectively pivoted, as indicated at 41, bumper contacting arms or elements '68 with contact pads thereon. -Nrma11y Iy when out of contact with the car and are stopped in this position by pins entering-slots 52 (Fig. '5). as the cylinder 44 is returned by the fluid-cylinder device 46. When the car is on the elevator and ready to be parked, the fluid cylinder '46 is extended so that the arms 48 are rotated into a horizontal position and the contactpads 49 placed in alignment with the respective' front and rear bumpers of the car.

. "To make certain of the contact of the pads 49 with the bumpers and to prevent any slight movement of the'car upon the elevator or to adapt the arms to difierent car lengths, means is provided adapted to be connected with these arms extend vertical whereby to return the cylinder device and extend the arms upright when the fluid within its cylinder operating device is released.

Within the opening 33 of the elevator with the driver element 32, are fluid actuators 64 and 65 located respectively at opposite sides of the driver element, with the actuator 64 serving to pivot the driver 32 to eject the car from the elevator, and the actuator 65 serving to return the car to the elevator. To control the movement of the driver element there is provided a pin 63 in the opening 33 extendin into an elongated slot 61 of a widened portion 63 of the element 32 for pivoting the arms inwardly about their pivots 4]. Associated with the fluid cylinder device 46 (Fig. '7) is a second cylinder device carrying I adapted to act :upon rollers 58 oh-shaftstfl extending toward the opposite ends of the cylinder device 44 and rotatable therewith to causejtheir outward movement to pivot the arms 8 inwardly. Between each of the rods and with the arms is a spring 6| which gives flexibility to the arm to protect the car and at the same time, protect the arm operating :parts fromruptura As the cylinder device'is rotated,

'the rollers'58 are brought into contact with the cams 56 and 51 and thereafter isjop'er'ate'd to raise the cams and cause the outof the rods55. Wrapped about second cylinder:5.5

thecylinder device are coil return springs 63 which are connected between the cylinder device and some fixed .point on the'upper carriage 36 It should now be apparent that there has been provided a simple and practical parking arrangementfor automobiles, wherein space has been conserved and wherein the'cars can be parked without the need of a driver and can be left in a locked condition and the device may be used 'at the fioor or at the top of the elevator as desired.

It is to be understood that thisfdev-ice maybe operated by an electric motor with suitable cams instead of the hydraulic arrangement.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precis'e construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is: I

1. In an automobile parking arrangement, a building structure having a section adapted to permit'the vertical travel on elevators and a sec tion to one side of the first section adapted to receiveand store the automobiles, an elevator disposed in said first section for vertical travel adapted to receive f to a parking section, car handling mechanism the elevator including arms adapted to be rotated -rom a vertical position to a horizontal position to engage opposite ends of the automobile positioned on the elevator, said mechanism tending one of the carriages one half its length from the elevator, means for extending-the other an opening of the elevator and actuating devices for-pi oting the driving element in a vertical plane positioned on the elevato r, said mechanism adapted to be extended off the elevator to push the automobile into an adjacent parking space and onto the elevator to pull an automobile from the parking section, and means on the elevator for actuating said car handling mechanism, said car handling mechanism including two carriages one superimposed upon the other, means for extending one of the carriages one half its length from the elevator, means for extending the other carriage one half its length beyond the extended first carriage, said means for extending the one carriage comprising a driver element lying within an opening of the elevator and actuating devices for pivoting the driving element in a vertical plane to extend the first carriage, said extending means adapted when moved to its unextended position to withdraw the first carriage, said means for extending the other carriage comprising teeth formations disposed in opposing relationship respectively upon the elevator structure and upon the a carriage structure, and an intermediate gear meshed with the teeth formations so that as the gear is driven over the teeth formation on the elevator structure by movement of the first carriage the formation on the second carriage will cause the second carriage to be extended.

3. In an automobile parking arrangement, a building structure having a section adapted to permit vertical travel on elevators and a section to one side of the first section adapted to receive 1.

and store automobiles, an elevator disposed in said first section for vertical travel adapted to receive an automobile and be elevated to a parking section, a car handling mechanism upon the elevator including arms adapted to be rotated from a vertical position to a horizontal position to engage opposite ends of the automobile positioned on the elevator, said mechanism adapted to be extended off the elevator to push the automobile into an adjacent parking space and onto the elevator to pull an automobile from the parking section, means on the elevator for actuating said car handling mechanism, said car handling mechanism including means for operating said arms, said arm operating means comprising a cylinder device extended longitudinally of the elevator and journalled thereto for rotation about its axis, said arms being connected to the opposite ends of the cylinder device wher by as the cylinder device is rotated it swings said arms from a vertical position to a horizontal position or vice versa, and an operating arm being connected to the cylinder device for rotating the same.

4. In an automobile parking arrangement, a building structure having a section adapted to permit vertical travel on elevators and a section to one side of the first section adapted to receive and store automobiles, an elevator disposed in said first section for vertical travel adapted to receive an automobile and be elevated to a parking section, car handling mechanism upon the elevator including arms adapted to be rotated from a vertical position to a horizontal position to engage opposite ends of the automobile positioned on the elevator, said mechanism adapted to be extended off the elevator to push the automobile into an adjacent parking space and onto the elevator to pull an automobile from the parking section, means on the elevator for actuating said car handling mechanism, said car handling mechanism including means for operating said arms, said arm operating means comprising a cylinder device extended longitudinally of the elevator and journalled thereto for rotation about its axis, said arms being connected to the opposite ends of the cylinder device whereby as the cylinder device is rotated it swings said arms from a vertical position to a horizontal position or vice versa, an operating arm connected to the cylinder device for rotating the same, said cylinder device having rods connected to the exterior of it and adapted for longitudinal movement therealong, said arms for contacting the automobile ends being pivotally connected to the ends of the cylinder device for rotation about a transverse axis, said rods connected with the arms to pivot the same, and actuating means cooperating with the inner ends of the rods to effect their outward actuation when the arms have been swung to their horizontal position whereby to tighten the arms upon the ends of the automobile.

5. In an automobile parking arrangement, a building structure having a section adapted to permit vertical travel on elevators and a section to one side of the first section adapted to receive and store automobiles, an elevator disposed in said first section for vertical travel adapted to receive an automobile and be elevated to a parking section, car handling mechanism upon the elevator including arms adapted to be rotated from a vertical position to a horizontal position to engage opposite ends of the automobile positioned on the elevator, said mechanism adapted to be extended ofi the elevator to push the automobile into an adjacent parking space and onto the elevator to pull an automobile from the parking section, means on the elevator for actuating said car handling mechanism, said car handling mechanism including means for operating said arms, said arm operating means comprising a cylinder device extended longitudinally of the elevator and journalled thereto for rotation about its axis, said arms being connected to the opposite ends of the cylinder device whereby as the cylinder device is rotated it swings said arms from a vertical posi tion to a horizontal position or vice versa, and an operating arm connected to the cylinder device for rotating the same, said cylinder device having rods connected to the exterior of it and adapted for longitudinal movement therealong, said arms for contacting the automobile ends being pivotally connected to the ends of the cylinder device for rotation about a transverse axis, said rods connected with the arms to pivot the same, and astuating means cooperating with the inner ends of the rods to efiect their outward actuation when the arms have been swung to their horizontal position whereby to tighten the arms upon the ends of the automobile, said rods having a spring means in their connection with the arms whereby a yielding pressure will be applied upon the automobile ends thereby to protect the car and prevent breakage of said rods and said arms.

FRANK MARIANO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,303,656 Orr Dec. 1, 1942 2,428,856 Sinclair Oct. 14, 1947 

